Chapter 57 Another Beauty
"Although Shang Junnian is the prime minister of Wuyun State, he is a rare all-round talent in both civil and military affairs, and his swordsmanship has reached the holy realm."
"In the battle of Mingyue Ferry, he was a vanguard general. Under Yinshan Mountain, he shattered hundreds of thousands of armors with one sword and injured countless of our immortal soldiers. When Wuyun Kingdom sent the crown prince to the capital as a hostage, in order to appease the emperor's anger, they also sent this man over."
"Now that his collar bone has been pierced, he is imprisoned in the Black Iron Prison at the back."
After the guards forcibly sent Gongsun Wuyou and the other two away, Eunuch He then told Lu Yan the reason: "Prince Yuzhang and Shang Junnian have a close relationship, so he made this request."
Lu Yan closed his eyes and rubbed his temples: "I have had a headache recently and my memory is not good, so I forgot."
Eunuch He said, "You were accidentally hit on the back of the neck by Shang Junnian a few days ago. The imperial physician came to see you and said that you would be confused for a few days. If Your Highness has any questions, just ask me."
Lu Yan squinted his eyes and said, "I was hit by Shang Junnian. Why?"
Eunuch He still looked calm and composed: "You praised him as a rare beauty in the world and ordered the guards to tie him up and send him to the room. Who would have thought that Shang Junnian's martial arts skills were still intact, so..."
Lu Yan subconsciously touched the back of his neck, thinking that it was no wonder that his neck had been aching since he woke up: "He died under the peony flowers, and he is still a romantic ghost. Open the prison door, I want to see what he looks like."
Hearing this, Eunuch He placed his hand on the wall behind Lu Yan and pushed it hard with his palm. With a loud and dull "boom", the wall flipped over, revealing a dark room inside. At the top was a palm-sized air vent, and the sunlight formed a slanting beam of light that fell from above, and the dust could be seen faintly jumping.
Lu Yan walked in and the view was dim.
There was a man nailed to the wall in the middle, his head lowered, his long hair scattered, and his face could not be seen clearly. Two hook-like sharp blades pierced his scapula, one on the left and one on the right, and the tail ends were fixed to the wall, making him unable to move. Blood flowed out from the wounds, dyeing the originally white shirt into a shocking blood color.
An iron chain hung from above, binding his neck.
There were two iron rings on the wall, one on the left and one on the right, which bound his wrists.
The man was like a beast trapped in a cage, his gorgeous fur had long since faded, his sharp claws had been plucked out, and he was emaciated, quietly waiting for decay and death.
"Shang Junnian?"
Lu Yan's low voice echoed in the air, carrying a bit of silence, and the man who had fainted seemed to be aware of something. He slowly raised his head, and the iron chains around him vibrated. The light cast by the air vent fell squarely on his face.
Lu Yan had never seen such a person before. He was like a handful of snow on the Yinshan Mountain that never melted all year round, crystal clear, yet chillingly cold. Although he looked thin and had the appearance of a ghost who had become a demon due to a long illness, his amber eyes were so clear and transparent that they made people forget the mundane world.
Hair like black, skin like snow,
It has the flawlessness of jade and the sharpness of weapons.
She is indeed a rare beauty.
Lu Yan inexplicably felt that the pair of eyes was very familiar, as if they were sucking his soul away. He couldn't help but step forward and stretched out his hand to lift Shang Junnian's chin:
"Such a beautiful lady, it's a pity to let her stay here and suffer."
"How about this, you call me good brother and I'll let you out of here."
Shang Junnian seemed to have heard a great joke when he heard this, and a low laugh escaped from his throat. He laughed so hard that his body trembled, and he accidentally pulled the iron chain, causing the wound that had finally scabbed to break open again, and blood slowly oozes out, like a gorgeous madman.
Lu Yan was puzzled: "What are you laughing at?"
He really felt it was a pity that this beautiful lady was locked up in a dark prison.
Shang Junnian raised his eyes to look at Lu Yan in the flickering light and shadow. The latter realized that without the sunlight, his eyes were full of darkness and deepness, like a pool of stagnant water filled with hatred:
"If you let me go, the fairy will die."
“Bold!!!”
Eunuch He standing by suddenly glared and shouted angrily, his voice rising more than eight degrees, bringing out a bit of the femininity of a eunuch, so Lu Yan was surprised to find that this old man still had some emotions of a living person.
"Don't be angry."
Lu Yan spoke calmly, giving Eunuch He a word of advice for the first time, and then looked at Shang Junnian again: "My beautiful lady, you don't have to provoke me to kill you. I am a person who cherishes women the most."
"You have been abandoned by your family and country, and your father is jealous of you. You are imprisoned here, and there is no place for you in the world. It is better for you to follow me and enjoy endless glory and wealth."
Lu Yan has always kept his own personality in mind. He is brutal by nature and likes homosexuality. It is normal for him to snatch a beautiful woman back home.
Shang Junnian stared at Lu Yan's face with a sinister look, thinking that this man was obviously more beautiful than himself, but it was a bit ridiculous that he liked someone who was not as good as him. He leaned forward, as if he wanted to see Lu Yan clearly, but the hook passed through his shoulder bone and was fixed to the wall, so he could not move.
Shang Junnian spoke in a hoarse voice: "Your Highness, could you please come closer?"
Lu Yan raised his eyebrows: "What?"
Shang Jun smiled and said, "Your Highness, don't you want to listen to your good brother? I will tell Your Highness to listen."
Eunuch He tried to stop him: "Your Highness, please don't do that!"
Lu Yan waved his hands and said, "No problem."
He walked up to Shang Junnian, tilted his head slightly, put his ear close to him, and made a listening gesture: "I'm listening, go ahead."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shang Junnian suddenly bit Lu Yan's neck. His eyes were so ferocious that it was frightening. There was no doubt that he would bite Lu Yan's throat like a beast.
"If you hurt me, I'm afraid Prince Yuzhang's life will be in danger—"
Lu Yan's confident voice made Shang Junnian pause. Seeing this, Eunuch He retracted his hand that had already been half-struck.
Lu stretched out his hand and pinched Shang Junnian's chin, smiling and saying, "You and that Prince Yuzhang are indeed from the same place. You wanted to bite me when you saw me. What's the matter? Are all people in Wuyun country dogs?"
When Shang Junnian heard Lu Yan mention Zhao Yuzhang, he seemed to have just realized something. He suddenly raised his head and looked outside. He saw that the cage that originally held the three hostages was empty. His expression finally changed:
"What did you do to them?!"
Lu Yan: "You just wanted to bite me, so why should I tell you the answer?"
Shang Junnian's expression changed several times, but he finally calmed down: "I was rude just now, and I apologize to Your Highness."
Lu Yan nodded, thinking that he was indeed a tough guy who could bend and stretch, and was more frightening than the three troublemakers outside: "What else?"
Shang Junnian knew what Lu Yan wanted. He raised his head slightly in the light and shadow, his eyes were filled with a cold ghost, but a seductive smile appeared on his lips, and his voice was hoarse and playful: "Even if I want to serve Your Highness, I am afraid I can't do anything if I am locked up."
Lu Yan: "So you are willing to follow me?"
Shang Junnian moved slightly, causing the wound to bleed again, but he seemed to feel nothing. He leaned his head close to Lu Yan's ear, and in the lingering smell of blood, he said something in a ghostly voice: "Those abandoned by their country have no one to rely on..."
"As long as Your Highness grants me freedom and keeps me safe, I will be at Your Highness's command from now on."
When he and Zhao Yuzhang were sent from thousands of miles away by the immortals as hostages, at that moment they had already become abandoned children of the Wuyun Kingdom. If they did not find a way to protect themselves, they would probably be imprisoned in this dark dungeon for the rest of their lives.
Lu Yan is a very suitable backer. He is powerful enough, favored enough, lustful enough, and easy to control.
Shang Junnian was in so much pain that he used up most of his strength just to say a few words. When he stopped speaking, his face turned pale as paper. He suddenly turned his head away from Lu Yan and spat out a mouthful of black blood.
Lu Yan was shocked when he saw this: "What's wrong with you?"
Eunuch He suddenly appeared in front of Shang Junnian and tapped him twice on the shoulder: "It's fine, but the iron hook went through the scapula and hurt the lungs."
Lu Yan wanted to say that it was not a problem if the injury was to his lungs, so he frowned and ordered, "Remove the shackles from him immediately and have the imperial physician wait in the mansion."
Eunuch He's hands moved slightly in his sleeves: "Your Highness, since you were injured the day before yesterday, the key to this black iron chain has been handed over to Your Majesty. I'm sorry that I can't unlock it."
Shang Junluo's mouth was stained with blood. Hearing this, he gave a mocking smile: "It seems that I have no chance with Your Highness."
He was glad that he did not have to commit himself to the cruel man in front of him, but he was also sad about his and Zhao Yuzhang's future fate.
Unexpectedly, Lu Yan gave him a deep look and said, "How difficult is that? I'll just go to the palace."
Shang Junluo was stunned.
It was a chilly winter day, with a thin layer of ice on the ground. The guards at the gate of the imperial city patrolled back and forth, secretly cursing the miserable weather. The armor on their bodies weighed dozens of kilograms, was cold and hard, and was really freezing to death.
The guard lowered his head and exhaled, preparing to change shifts and drink some hot tea, but suddenly heard a burst of hurried horse hooves coming. The man in the lead had a jade crown on his head and a silver fox cloak on his body, followed by a team of golden crow guards in black. Who else could it be but the evil star Fengling Wang? !
The guards hurried forward and kowtowed: "Greetings, King Fengling!"
According to the rules, royal relatives and officials were not allowed to ride into the palace and had to dismount outside the Jingshun Gate. However, this person was an exception, a privilege granted by the emperor himself.
Lu Yan waved his whip casually and said, "I have something important to see my father. Everyone, get up."
At that time, the Emperor was reviewing memorials in the Wannian Palace. When he heard that Prince Fengling was coming to pay a visit, he subconsciously glanced at the sky outside and said in a lazy voice, "Well, it's getting dark, and it's almost time for the palace gates to be locked. I'm afraid the Third Brother has something to do if he comes here at this time. Forget it, let him go."
The personal attendant, Eunuch She, said with a smile, "Your Majesty, you were still talking about the Third Prince this morning. Who knows, you may be in sync with him."
The Immortal Emperor smiled. Although he was already middle-aged, he did not look old at all. His eyes were as clear as fire. He sat high up in the Wannian Palace and looked down at the world. "Who knows?"
As he was speaking, Lu Yan had already walked in, led by the eunuchs. The coldness wrapped around his body was immediately dispelled by the warmth from the charcoal fire in the hall. He knelt on one knee and bowed to the man on the high seat: "Your son greets you, father."
The Emperor was obviously very happy when he saw Lu Yan. He specially asked Eunuch She to add a seat next to the dragon chair and asked him in a casual tone: "You kid never comes to the temple for no reason. Tell me, what trouble have you caused?"
The emperor had three sons: Prince of Nanxun, Prince of Guxu, and Prince of Fengling. The first two were well-known for their talents in the court, but he favored his youngest son, Lu Yan, to the point of doting on him.
Lu Yan was originally sitting, but upon hearing this, he slid down from his chair and went straight to the emperor's legs. The youngest son was acting coquettishly, which was the most heartwarming thing: "Father, isn't Shang Junnian imprisoned in my house? He is so sick that he only has one breath left."
The Emperor glanced at him and said, "And then?"
Lu Yantu asked: "Can you give the key to the Black Iron Chain to your son?"
The Emperor unexpectedly did not agree immediately: "Today you first released the three hostages from the dungeon, and now you are asking me for Shang Junnian's key. I gave them to you against all odds, but you let them go for no reason. You should at least explain why, right?"
Lu Yan thought that nothing could be hidden from the Emperor, so he made up a lie: "Those three hostages looked pretty at first glance, but they turned out to be stubborn. Let's just let them go. As for Shang Junnian..."
Lu Yan paused deliberately and said: "He is good-looking, I like him."
The Emperor closed his eyes calmly and said, "Then do you know that Shang Junnian's bones are harder than the other three?"
"This man was born in a commoner family. He passed the imperial examination in front of the palace and became famous overnight. At that time, the crown prince Yutuo of Wuyun wanted to recruit him as a disciple, but he knelt down in front of Zhu Xuan's palace and became a disciple of Yuzhang, a bastard at the time. He helped him defeat Zhao Yutuo step by step."
"Later, Zhao Yuzhang was canonized as the crown prince, and Shang Junnian was also appointed as the prime minister of Wuyun State. Do you think that just because his scapula was pierced, you can slaughter him at will?"
"Others may be dogs, but he is a vicious wolf that bites people."
Lu Yan thought he had figured it out. He had almost been bitten just now, but he pretended to be a rogue: "But I just like him. Father, please give me the key. Anyway, he is seriously injured now and can't do anything to me!"
The Emperor originally disagreed, but could not resist his pleading. He closed his eyes, pinched his nose, and called out, "Someone, go get the key to the black iron chain."
Seeing this, Lu Yan smiled a little: "Thank you, father!"
The Emperor looked at his face, lost in thought for a moment, then sighed, "The older you get, the more you look like your mother. Not only in appearance, but also in her scoundrel personality."
No one in the palace dared to mention Lu Yan's background, and no one knew his background. There were rumors outside that his mother was the most beautiful woman in the four countries, but she followed the emperor without any status and died of dystocia after giving birth to Lu Yan.
Lu Yan was a little confused: "But I have never seen my mother."
The Emperor patted his head and said, "Your mother is very good."
As they were talking, the key was taken over. Eunuch He stepped forward to take it, but heard the Emperor's deep voice saying, "Even though Shang Junluo has his scapula locked, he is still alive even after his death. You must keep a close eye on him and protect the safety of King Fengling."
Eunuch He bowed slightly. Unlike the deadpan expression he showed when facing Lu Yanshi, his eyes truly revealed his submission to the superior: "I obey your command."
The Emperor couldn't help but cough twice, then waved his hand to Lu Yan: "Okay, I've got the key, let's leave the palace quickly, it's dark and the snowy road is hard to walk on, have the guards keep a close eye on you, don't fall."
With the help of the palace candles, Lu Yan saw that the emperor had gray hair on his temples. He thought that if his father had not suffered from a hidden illness due to years of war and died three years later, the other three kingdoms might not have dared to invade.
Lu Yan stood up and silently patted the emperor on the back: "The weather is getting cold, father, you should also pay more attention to your health."
The Emperor said: "It would be better if you just stop doing such messy things."
Lu Yan just smiled and said nothing.
When leaving the palace, it was getting dark, and the cold wind blew in the face, making the face hurt. Lu Yan got on his horse and prepared to go home, but suddenly he heard the old voice of Eunuch He from behind: "Forgive me for being so brave, Your Highness, you took too much risk today."
He was talking about how he was almost bitten by Shang Junnian today.
Lu Yan grabbed the reins and smiled: "Don't worry, he doesn't dare to kill me. At most, he just wants to provoke me to kill him."
Eunuch He gently pinched the horse's belly and walked to Lu Yan's side, half a body length behind him as required. "Why do you say that, Your Highness?"
Lu Yan touched the back of his neck and said, "Since he could injure me with one palm strike, it would not be difficult for him to kill me. The fact that he didn't kill me shows that he has concerns. Moreover, Zhao Yuzhang has a close relationship with him. Even if Shang Junnian doesn't care about Wuyun Country, he will always care about the prince."
Eunuch He seemed to sigh: "Your Highness has changed a lot."
Lu Yan whipped his whip vigorously, making a short and loud sound in the air. He curled his lips slightly, which only reminded people of the four words "high-spirited and vigorous":
"Let's go back to the mansion and unlock the door for him. Anyway, I have decided to marry this beautiful lady Shang Junnian!"
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